Synchronized reading apparatus

Claim 1

A READER FOR A RECORD CARD MEMBER HAVING A SERIES OF SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY SPACED COLUMNS OF CODED PERFORATIONS AND LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES POSITIONED REFERENCE DISTANCES FROM THE FIRST AND LAST COLUMNS OF PERFORATIONS THEREON, THE COMBINATION OF WHICH COMPRISES A READING STATION AND MEANS FOR SERIALLY FEEDING SUCH A RECORD MEMBER COLUMN-BY-COLUMN THROUGH THE READING STATION, SAID READING STATION INCLUDING PHOTOREADING MEANS FOR READING EACH COLUMN OF PERFORATIONS ON SUCH RECORD MEMBER, FIRST PHOTODETECTION MEANS ON ONE SIDE OF SAID READING MEANS FOR SENSING THE PRESENCE TO THE RECORD MEMBER AND SO POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO THE READING MEANS AS TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL SIGNIFYING THE PASSAGE OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RECORD MEMBER THEREBY IN ADVANCE OF THE PASSAGE OF THE FIRST COLUMN OF PERFORATIONS PAST THE READING MEANS, AND SECOND PHOTODETECTION MEANS POSITIONED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE READING MEANS FOR SENSING THE PRESENCE OF THE RECORD MEMBER AND FOR PROVIDING A SIGNAL SIGNIFYING THE PASSAGE OF THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE RECORD MEMBER THEREBY; MEANS SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE RECORD MEMBER FOR DEVELOPING A PLURALITY OF TIMING SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO PREDETERMINED INCREMENTS OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE RECORD MEMBER THROUGH SAID READING STATION; AND CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND PHOTODETECTION MEANS AND INCLUDING A COUNTER COUPLED TO SAID SYNCHRONIZING MEANS AND OPERABLE WHEN INITIATED TO COUNT THE TIMING SIGNALS AND TO PROVIDE A STROBE SIGNAL AS THE FIRST AND EACH SUBSEQUENT COLUMN OF PERFORATIONS ON THE CARD PASSES THE READING MEANS, SAID CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING GATING MEANS RESPONSIVE ONLY TO THE COINCIDENT SENSING OF THE PRESENCE OF THE RECORD MEMBER BY BOTH SAID FIRST AND SECOND DETECTION MEANS AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE SIGNAL FROM THE FIRST DETECTION MEANS SIGNIFYING THE PASSAGE OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RECORD MEMBER FOR INITIATING THE OPERATION OF THE COUNTER AND FURTHER BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE SIGNAL FROM THE SECOND DETECTION MEANS SIGNIFYING THE PASSAGE OF THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE RECORD MEMBER FOR TERMINATING THE OPERATION OF THE COUNTER.